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The Cain Train Stops in South Carolina

So, while we’re all trying to piece together the State of the Union and wrapping our heads around Florida, little noticed is the small miracle Stephen Colbert pulled off in South Carolina.

The Colbert Report has steadily moved into my regular television watching schedule over the last year as the program has moved from acerbic satire to general humor and commentary. While still not as good as the Daily Show in terms of pure comedy, the Colbert Report has upped its game in the area of education-through-humor. Nowhere has this been more evident than the recent attempt by show star and chief satirist Stephen Colbert to run for president of the United States, an attempt to satirically highlight the incredibly flawed nature of current campaign laws, especially the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court.

When Colbert couldn’t get on the South Carolina ballot for the GOP primary he encouraged his fans to vote for Herman Cain instead – and even embraced the fallen former front runner in a Charleston South Carolina rally the day before the primary. Colbert even went so far as to run ads (through his partner in crime John Stewart) in support of Herman Cain during the primary. So with all of this mirth and press, was Colbert able to sway voters to indirectly vote for him, in favor of a guy who dropped out months ago, thus proving that our campaign finance and primary system are essentially a sham?

That’s more than 30 times the number of votes Cain got in the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary combined and more than double the votes former GOP candidate Rick Perry, who dropped out of the race Thursday, received.

Having spent the day in South Carolina during the primary I can’t say that I saw any Herman Cain lawn signs, or heard any Herman Cain supporters yelling from cars (unlike Ron Paul and Gingrich supporters). But, Herman Cain apparently did make an impact in one critical precinct. The Fairwold voting precinct at Pendergrass-Fairwold Elementary in South Carolina was the only precinct in the state where Herman Cain won.

But – and check this out: he won big. He got more votes than Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney combined. Mind you, Cain got a total of 3 votes, Newt got 1 and Romney got 1 and only 6 people voted in the precinct. Still, for Colbert/Cain a win’s a win. The best part about it though? The address of the voting precinct was 5935 Token Street – you just can’t make up that kind of irony.

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About Jason Johnson

Dr. Jason Johnson is a professor, political analyst and public speaker. Fresh, unflappable, objective, he is known for his ability to break down stories with wit and candor. Johnson is the author the book Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell, a tenured professor in the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and Politics Editor at TheRoot.com. Dr. Johnson has an extensive public speaking and media background ranging from … [Read More...] about About Jason Johnson